You can have a healthy meal for $7 without breaking festival rules.

One of our first-ever On The Cheap tips came from Don Mellinger in Bethlehem, who offered what he described as the "Musikfest for $0 a day" plan.

Don eats a big lunch at home, then hits the Bethlehem festival with some sandwiches and a Musikfest mug full of ice. He parks on the outskirts of downtown Bethlehem and treks several blocks to the festival.

He fills his mug with water at the drinking fountain near the Channel 69 News tent and when he's hungry, he eats a sandwich. He uses the money he saves on food to buy CDs directly from artists performing at the festival.

In subsequent years, we got a little carried away. We devised plans to stuff hoagies, cheese curls and beers into children's clothes to make a beer baby so you could break festival rules and sneak in your own food without detection. Last year we shared a tip from Josh Jones in Hellertown about how to doctor a Musikfest mug to double its holding capacity so you could sneak in more beer.

We got a lot of angry reader feedback about those tips and we realize how irresponsible we've been. We shouldn't be condoning such unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Here are some tips for eating healthy and affordably at Musikfest whether you want to sneak in some snacks or not.

Fest fare: It's tough to find among all the cheesesteaks, chicken fingers and fries, but Musikfest has some healthy food choices. Your best bet is to hit one of the cafes at SteelStacks on the South Side, where you can get a salad with fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil along with your choice of carrots and celery or an apple for $7. SteelStacks also has drinking fountains near the restrooms, so you can refill your water bottle there.

Local restaurants: If you want to get out of the heat, there are plenty of restaurants that are glad to have your business during Musikfest. Bethlehem Brew Works right on the festival grounds has salads ranging from $7.95 to $10.95. For a lower-cost option you'll have to walk a few blocks to Rosanna's Pizza at 2-4 E. Broad St., where a small tossed salad is only $2.95.

Bring your own: If you're feeling adventurous and still want to sneak a little in, you can make a veggie baby that would make a salad for four people for about $8, or $2 per serving. We made ours with lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and grape tomatoes.

While sneaking in food is against the rules, we reached out to Musikfest officials for their thoughts about the fairly common practice and here's what they had to say:

"Musikfest is the largest free music festival in the country. Because we don't charge admission to the festival or at 14 of the 15 stages, we rely on food and beverage sales to help pay for the over 500 free performances as well as the cost of the 15 stages and festival infrastructure," festival spokesman Curt Mosel said. "Every performer at Musikfest is a paid performer even though most of the attendees enjoy those performances for free. The food and beverage options at Musikfest are diverse so there is something for everyone. All of those purchases also support the many food vendors who come to Musikfest year after year … . Musikfest offers something for everyone. Pick up a free Musikfest program book and plan your trip accordingly based on your budget."